Lion Knight and His Rebel Princess
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Squall is devoted to protecting Rinoa, and the sudden invasion of Ultimecia's monsters will not change that.  But will he be able to save her this time?  Due to reader's requests, a second chapter is being made to finish the story.  Enjoy, Read and Review


"_I will protect you, even at the cost of my own life."_

_Monsters sent by that witch…Ultimecia…attacked the Garden somehow…I remembered…telling everyone to keep the monsters out of the lobby and center of the Garden…Zell and Selphie were fighting a triplet of Tri-Faces near the entrance to the car garage, with Irvine backing them up as best he could._

_I wanted to fight alongside them, but my mind knew I had something more important to attend to…_

_I had left Rinoa with Xu in the cockpit, arguably the safest place in Garden at such short notice. I had told her, damn well ordered her to stay there and not follow me. Saying that it was my job to protect her._

_I had hoped she would listen to her superiors this time. She had a knack for being rebellious when the situation never called for it. That was Rinoa Heartilly at her best, and worst._

_She didn't listen to her father back in Deling City when he ordered her to stay at home, and she nearly got herself killed then. But I had rescued her. I would do that multiple times in the weeks to come._

_I kept Rinoa as my priority as I ran to the stairs to the elevator. The creatures, mostly Flans, but others made fire too, and the flames were abundant in the lobby, catching the bushes and bulletin boards ablaze._

_I ran to the elevator hastily, but a Behemoth cut me off near the stairs. The large purple beast (which was the size of a small truck) was blocking my way. Knowing each and every second I had to deal with this creature would keep me from my objective, I had drawn my Revolver and prepared to fight it._

_The creature swung its mighty paw with murderous intent and ferocious strength, but I had rolled to the side. Combat roll, expertly made, and struck its large purple arm once with the gunblade I wielded._

_A roar of pain, as well as a small amount of blood, escaped from the Behemoth as it charged at me. This time I jumped into the air, to gain a tactical advantage. I had underestimated the monster, and its tail caught me, throwing me up the stairs and I landed near the elevator, on my feet, and ready to fight. But, in the back of my mind, I knew I was wasting time with this._

_The creature had not even begun to climb the stairs when it did a complete 360 degree spin, as if it were being attacked by something else, but I had not made a move at it. _

_That's when a man I recognized jumped in front of me, holding a single sword in each hand and wearing a dark red leather outfit. The one who had attacked the Behemoth, and was now facing the rage he had caused it._

_He had his back to me, but I knew who he was as he spoke to me in a low serious tone, "I'll handle this. Go to your objective. She's waiting for you, sir."_

_I lowered my gunblade, saying nothing, and nodded before going into the elevator. The doors shut behind me just as the monster roared to attack._

He had asked me to remain behind. Stay out of harm's way was his reason. While he went down to check out why there were a large collection of monsters invading Balamb. They never did that…

Squall had told me to stay. I didn't listen. Why should he always be the one in danger, even for my sake?

I walked out of the cockpit knowing full well the dangers that awaited me below. Squall would get upset with me, which I was sure of, but those monsters were after me. Because of Ultimecia's plot, I was center to it, and Squall was protecting me. A sorceress has her knight to protect her. Sure, sounds convenient, but I can take care of myself to a certain degree. I had proven that much since I had met him. Surely even he knew that?

I had decided to prove it to him if he didn't, and this was a prime way to prove my point.

I hadn't even got within a foot of the elevator before a black and blue portal appeared before me, and three Forbidden skeleton monsters came out, swords swinging madly for my flesh.

I stumbled back from the sudden action, losing my balance and falling on my backside. Scrambling back to my feet, I raised my Pinwheel weapon on my left wrist and fired it. Like a boomerang, it hit all three of them, decapitating all of them, the heads landing on the floor followed by the crumpling of their bodies into piles of bones.

I took a big breath before I pumped my fist into the air, thinking to myself, 'that wasn't too hard.'

That's when another portal appeared, and another, followed by another…

And that is when I started to regret my decision to leave the safety of the cockpit.

_When I stepped out of the elevator to the second floor bridge, mayhem broke out immediately. Loud explosions could be heard all around me, and yet I tried to pay them no mind. My thoughts were elsewhere. Like how to make sure I live to see the next day._

_The smell of burning paper and flesh brought me back to my current situation. _

_Last time I had checked, the second floor was where the wounded were being treated, as well as where Quistis was keeping the place safe. _

_The fires and monster corpses proved that the word safe was no longer applied._

_Quistis was the first person I saw, along with Xu, our flight navigator for the Garden, tending to a girl who appeared to have her arm torn to shreds by something, something big. With claws._

'_Why is Xu down here? She's supposed to be watching—'_

_Quistis called over to me, "Squall!"_

_Forgetting what I had wanted to say, I was all superior officer now as I ran over to the former SeeD instructor, "Report!"_

"_Death Claws overran us as soon as you went to the first floor! The classrooms are full of them—"_

_A high-pitched scream from a female student down the hall and a monster, a Death Claw (a monster with four single claws and resembling a cross between a white tiger and a bear) walked out of the flames towards us._

"_How did they get here!"_

_Quistis drew her weapon, a whip, and got in a fighter's stance, "Portals of some kind! They seem to come from nowhere!"_

_A tremble overcame me when I heard that. I realized that, if they could spawn anywhere…that meant Rinoa was-_

_Quistis went into action and she took the monster down with strikes from her whip. I snapped out of my trance to swing a flurry of my blade attacks, and the monster fell back onto the floor dead, just as another came from the fire. _

_Again, time was a wasting for me…now that no one was watching Rinoa._

_I had to get to her. _

"_Quistis, move everyone that you can to the dorms!"_

_A loud snap from the whip Quistis had gave me the answer. She nodded too as I turned back to the elevator, hoping Rinoa had done as I had told her beforehand. I didn't want to believe she was in more than imminent danger…_

No matter how many I beat down, there were more of the monsters coming into the Headmaster's office. I had used my skills, or what Squall called 'stall tactics' as best I could. I wasn't like him, I wasn't SeeD, a mercenary trained to fight sorceresses…then again, and I _was_ a sorceress to a degree. He was my knight, I elected him to that position, and he had vowed to protect me.

Which is what he was trying to do now, and yet, I didn't listen. I had wanted to prove my worth to him that he didn't need to get himself hurt for me… And now, I was running from monsters when I should have been in the safest place in the entire Garden.

The Forbiddens now numbered six, and I was surrounded. Piles of bones littered the ground around us, but they paid no mind to their fallen comrades. All that mattered, was my death or, more prominently, my capture for that witch from the future's sake.

But I wasn't going anywhere I didn't want to go obviously.

I lashed out with Fire and Blizzard spells, and the skeletons were caught in the ensuing explosion. I had fallen back from the shockwave just in time. Bones went out the windows, and some even stuck into the walls like spears. I sat on the floor, my back against the Headmaster's desk. I was sweating profusely and breathing hard, the magic casting had taken a lot out of me. And yet I was somehow still alive…

That was when I tried to use the lift to take me to the cockpit, and wait there until Squall returned, and if he asked me how I got so exhausted I would make up some stupid excuse—

I tried to move but my body would not listen, even as a single portal appeared near the elevator.

Out stepped a human shaped monster carrying a long sword in its left hand and wearing white armor. A Blitz, that was what Squall called them. Vicious in combat he had told me.

I forgot about the pain in my legs in order to stand, I used the first spell I could think of. A Thunder spell and I quickly fell to my left, just missing the sword coming down. It sliced the desk right in half in one stroke, and it would have done the same to me had my legs not given out on me. I had fallen face first onto the floor, and I closed my eyes and waited, waited for the blade to stab through my flesh.

But it never came, I realized as I peeked to see, instead I was showered with the monster's blood, courtesy of the Revolver Gunblade, courtesy of my knight.

_The small fountain of crimson escaping the monster's wound showered Rinoa's legs, but I had saved her nonetheless. She was alright, and that was all I cared about._

_I pulled the dead monster off my blade, it crumpled to a heap to the floor, and I tended to the girl._

_The girl I swore to protect._

_I was on one knee as I went to Rinoa's aid. She had not been hurt, thankfully, but she had gone from her safe place, more or less to find me. "I don't understand why you don't just listen to me for once," I said, helping her sit up on her knees. _

_She put her arms around my neck instantly, and after the initial surprise, the moment reminded me of our time on the Lunatic Pandora. _

_When she had been kidnapped…and I had rescued her…again. _

_That time though, I had wanted that._

_I could feel Rinoa bury her face into my right shoulder, and I set my weapon on the ground to put my arms around her, and I heard her say, "And I don't always see why you should get hurt because of me. You could get killed."_

_I could tell she was upset, upset at why I had to leave her. I helped her stand, still holding her close to me, protecting her. I caressed her raven black hair softly, and said, with a rush of passion and truth, "I'm your knight, and it's my duty to protect you. And I always will."_

Since the day I had met Squall, standing alone during the SeeD graduation ball, looking at me, I couldn't help but smile at him, even if he had no idea who I was, or how we would get to know each other in the following days. Or how much we would fight to stay alive together, how he would rescue me countless times…sometimes out of the sake for his mission, sometimes out of his own choice…

You know, sometimes, I even thought he saved me out of love. I know he would never admit it to anyone out loud, even to me, unless he was sure of it. I knew him that much.

And at this moment, I swore I felt him express that feeling.

And for that, I was grateful. Grateful to have met him, to have him close, to know he would give his life for me.

And I loved him, for all I had, I loved Squall Leonhart, my knight.


End file.
